Schedule
Hillsdale (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Indianapolis (0-2, 0-0 GLVC) | 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 16 | Key Arena | Indianapolis, IN
Purdue Northwest (2-0, 0-0 GLIAC) at Hillsdale (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 5 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 18 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Lake Superior State (0-2, 0-0 GLIAC) | 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, Nov. 22 | Bud Cooper Gymnasium | Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats, Webcast, Ticket links
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | UIndy Roster | Purdue NW Roster | Lake Superior St. Roster | Hillsdale Stats | UIndy Stats | Purdue NW Stats | Lake Superior St. Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (5.0 ppg, 4.5 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (16.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 2 apg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (16.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg); #31 Ashley Konkle, Jr., C, Aurora, IL/Benet Academy/Western Michigan (6.5 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 spg, 1.5 bpg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (6.5 ppg)
UIndy: #1 Sadie Hill, Sr., G, Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian/Murray St. (6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 spg); #2 Elana Wells, So., G, Elgin, IL/Burlington Central (11 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.5 spg); #5 Liv Becker, So., G/F, Wilmette, IL/New Trier (9.5 ppg, 2 rpg); #14 Ilani Williams-Harris, Jr., Indianapolis, IN/Covenant Christian (9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2 spg); #32 Lauren With, Jr., F, Hartland, WI/Arrowhead/California Baptist (2 ppg, 4 rpg)
Purdue NW: #12 Kylie Schmidt, So., F, Francis Creek, WI/Mishicot (9.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg); #15 Tadrianna Heard, Jr., G, Justice, IL/Argo (16.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg, 1 spg); #23 Kennedy Jackson, Sr., G, Carson, CA/Redondo Union (6 ppg, 4 rpg); #32 Dash Shaw, Jr., G, Crown Point, IN/Crown Point (19.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg); #40 Mercedes Simmons, Jr., F, Crystal Falls, MI/Forest Park (9 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
Lake Superior St: #4 Margot Woughter, Sr., G, Traverse City, MI/Central/Indiana Wesleyan (15.5 ppg, 3 apg); #12 CeCe Hacker, So., G, Omaha, NE/Marian (5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg); #23 Mattison Rayman, Sr., F, Otsego, MI/Otsego (19.5 ppg, 14.5 rpg, 2 spg, 1.5 bpg); #24 Jaden Wilder, Jr., G, Manton, MI/Manton (6.5 ppg, 3.5 apg); #30 Grace Bradford, Fr., F, Glen Arbor, MI/Glen Lake (11.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.5 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
UIndy: The Greyhounds are off to an 0-2 start this season, though against tough competition, including NCAA DII fifth-ranked Ashland.
UIndy is looking to rebound from a 10-17 season in 2021-22 and has a couple of talented returning starting guards it can lean on in the starting lineup in Sadie Hill, Elana Wells and Ilani Williams-Harris, as well as wing Liv Becker.
The Greyhounds are deep – with another key guard from last season in Mya Scheidt coming off the bench, and one of their top scorers from last year in Marissa Knobloch yet to play.
In the post, Lauren With is a returning contributor, but watch out for JuCo transfer Idalis Ortiz and freshman Jada Patton, both of whom have played big roles off the bench in the first two games and could be bigger factors as the season wears on.
UIndy is coached by Marc Mitchell, who took over the program this offseason after four years at NCAA DI St. Peter's University in New Jersey.
Purdue NW: The Pride are still looking for their first winning season since joining the GLIAC a half-decade ago, but early indications are that Purdue Northwest might have the group it needs this season to get over the hump.
The Pride opened the season with two impressive wins against GLVC foes, thanks to a big talent infusion from three transfers to pair with dynamic All-GLIAC guard Dash Shaw. Shaw is averaging 19.5 points per game and JuCo transfer Tadrianna Heard is chipping in 16.5 points as well.
Mercedes Simmons and Kylie Schmidt give the Pride a credible post presence, and Purdue Northwest has high hopes for Syria Butler, a transfer from Division I Valparaiso, off the bench as well in the near future, along with returner Reagan Courier.
The Pride are coached by Courtney Locke, now in her fifth season with the program. Locke came to Purdue Northwest after 13 years of experience as an assistant at the NCAA DI level at schools like Hawaii, Lipscomb, Central Florida and UC-Santa Barbara, among others.
Lake Superior State: A program looking for its first winning season in over a decade, LSSU got off to a tough 0-2 start last weekend, though close losses to solid Findlay and Northwood teams give the Lakers reason to believe this could be the year that begins the turnaround.
Any hope of climbing the GLIAC standings for LSSU rests squarely on the shoulders of senior stars Mattison Rayman and Margot Woughter. Rayman is off to a massive start in 2022-23, averaging 19.5 points and 14.5 rebounds after contributing a double-double a year ago, and Woughter is averaging 15 points as well.
The Lakers also have two impressive freshmen in post Grace Bradford, also averaging a double-double so far for LSSU, and guard Gracey Metz, who's been effective off the bench, to help give the Lakers needed supporting scoring.
The Lakers are coached by Brandon Lokken, now in his sixth season as head coach at LSSU. He was a long-time assistant in the men's program for the Lakers, and part of two of the team's three NCAA tournament appearances on the men's side by head coach Steve Hettinga.
Scouting Hillsdale
The Chargers made huge strides in the 2021-22 season, improving by nine wins from the previous year and finishing just one win away from a winning season and a berth in the G-MAC Tournament.
With turnover at other programs across the G-MAC, the expectation is for the Chargers to push even higher this year, with an impressive amount of talent returning from last year's squad.
All five starters return from the 2021-22 team, including All-G-MAC players Grace Touchette and Sydney Mills, and G-MAC Freshman of the Year Peighton Nelson. Those three stars, along with defensive menace Ari Sysum and versatile guard Dani Salenbien, give Hillsdale a great nucleus to build around.
While Nelson is the headliner, Hillsdale is expecting great things from all the members of this year's sophomore class. Second-year players Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain played well off the bench for the Chargers last year and should be ready for bigger roles this season, while Kendall McCormick could make an impact after a year of adjusting to the college game as well.
In the post, Hillsdale returns another solid reserve in senior Maverick Delp, and adds a potential game-changer in Western Michigan transfer Ashley Konkle. The 6-2 center got playing time for the Broncos and could make a huge impact for the Chargers in 2022-23 after sitting out last season while recovering from an injury.
Hillsdale is coached by Charlie Averkamp, who returns for his third season with the Chargers this year, along with second-year assistants Brianna Brennan and Brooke Bailey.
Other Notes
- The Chargers were picked to finish 6th in the 2022-23 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll in line with their 7th place finish in 2021-22. Defending champion Ashland was picked to repeat as title-winners, while Kentucky Wesleyan was picked second and Walsh third.
- Hillsdale is 3-5 all time against UIndy, with the Greyhounds taking the most recent meeting in 2018, 69-67. Prior to that, however, the Chargers had back-to-back wins against UIndy and are 3-2 against the Greyhounds since 2009. This Friday is Hillsdale's first-ever meeting with Purdue Northwest, but the Chargers have a long history against Lake Superior State, trailing the Lakers 23-34. While LSSU has the overall series lead, Hillsdale has dominated the recent series, with 10 wins in the last 11 meetings, including a 89-55 Chargers win last November.
- A first-team All-G-MAC player last season, senior Grace Touchette enters the 2022-23 campaign poised to make several all-time lists in Hillsdale College women's basketball history. Touchette is 11th in career points with 1,258 after moving past former teammate Allie Dewire this past weekend and could move as high as fourth with a strong season. At 287 career assists, Touchette should break into the top 10 all time in that stat as well. Touchette is already sixth all-time at Hillsdale in career 3-pointers made with 176, and matching last season's numbers should move her into third all-time in that stat.
- Junior Sydney Mills is a repeat second-team All-G-MAC honoree, and has averaged a double-double in each of the past two seasons. Her 291 rebounds were the seventh-most in a single season in program history, and she's currently eighth all-time in career rebounds with 710 and two more seasons of eligibility remaining. A strong, healthy finish to Mills' career should see her become just the third player in program history with 1,000 rebounds in her career, and potentially threaten Sandy Skaisgir's career record of 1,146 rebounds.
- While many of Hillsdale's starters are upperclassmen, a quartet of impressive sophomores is already making a big impact for the Chargers and showcasing a bright future for the program. Peighton Nelson, the 2022 G-MAC Freshman of the Year, is the team's starting point guard and leads the squad in assists, while Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain are playing starter's minutes off the bench and averaging a combined 28 points per game between them through two contests. The fourth sophomore of the group, Kendall McCormick, is working her way into the lineup as well after spending her freshman season adjusting to the college game. All four players will be crucial to Hillsdale's success moving forward.
- Hillsdale's wins on opening weekend – a 98-90 overtime victory over Truman State, and a 66-55 win over Quincy – mark the first time since 2016-17 that the Chargers opened the season with back-to-back wins. Hillsdale started the 2016-17 season 4-0. If the Chargers can piece together three more wins over the next week, it would be Hillsdale's first five-game winning streak to start the season since 2010-11. Hillsdale's all-time record for wins to open the season is 12, set in the 2004-05 campaign.